• 'The truth of the matter is that muggers are very interesting people'

• 'Men are awful: arrogant, nasty creatures'

• 'There's no moralistic side to Death Wish; it's a pleasant romp'

• 'Hitchcock said actors are cattle, but show me a cow who can earn one million dollars per film'

• 'He was a very good actor but he wasn't used as an actor as much as he should have been because he became famous as Peter Ustinov'

• 'I don't want to live in a tolerant society. I want to live in a very intolerant society'

• 'In this business disaster is always just around the corner'

• 'Women like to be treasured for themselves. They don't get taken in by men with money. In fact, I did far better when I was an assistant director'

• 'The hardest part of directing is staying awake for nine weeks at a stretch'

• 'Since the plate decorators and poncified chefs took over, food has not improved at all. It has become pretentious. It has become mini-portions, whose descriptions on the menu take longer to read than the food takes to eat'

• 'An OBE is what you get if you clean the toilets well at King's Cross station. I really don't care if I get anything or not'

• 'Children should not be allowed to go on holiday. They scream, they shout, they yell. All children should be locked up until the age of 10 and only selected ones should be let out when they are 10'

• 'The only way to hold a decent dinner party in Hollywood now is to have a seance'

• 'I do not lurk. I ponce about, cause trouble, bring light and happiness to the world and generally behave with impeccable (if misplaced) self-assurance'